Archive for June, 2008

The Fresno State “Don’t Call Me Cinderrella” Bulldogs became the national champions of college baseball at the College World Series (that sentance is a bit of an oxymoron). Steve Detwiler was a one man wrecking crew, with “one thumb” (he actually has two thumbs, but ESPN insists he has only one). The RF drove in all 6 of his teams runs, and recorded the final out, but Detwiler reminded interviewers that the victory was a team effort. It was a beaten down Bulldog team at that. They had injuries to their best pitchers, injuries to their best players, a low RPI, a low batting average, and a high ERA. ESPN announced that the team scored an average of 6+ runs a game which was good enough for 102nd in the nation (possibly the most unlikely championship ever). It turns out, that is just how Bulldogs like it, unless you are from Georgia. (For the entire game recap, check out this live blog)

With all of that lined up, Fresno shouldn’t have won. They shouldn’t have even been there. As a matter of fact, if this was the BCS, they wouldn’t have had the chance. They most likely, wouldn’t have even gotten a BCS game. If there was ever a case against the BCS, it is the way that baseball runs their championship (and basketball for that matter). All the little guys are asking for is a chance. They might not win often, but every now and then, they just might shock you. Not too many people in the world cared about Fresno St. before this championship (hell, not too many people cared about the city of Fresno), but for one week people cared. For one week they weren’t the little guy. They don’t want to be known as Cinderella, and they won’t. From now on, they will be known as champions.

If a college baseball tournament is played, but it is televised on ESPN Classic, does it make a sound? Much of the world has become disenfranchised with the WWL, the 4 letter word, the propaganda machine that is ESPN. Myself included in this group. I have pretty much come to terms with ESPN and their endless rants, lack of accountability, and recyclying of the same story…(T.O.?) Really, those things don’t bother me anymore, but their latest programming decision has me baffled. Why was one of the final games of the College World Series buried on ESPN Classic? One might think that perhaps there was a major sporting event that was taking place. Something like Eurocup, or maybe even olympic gymnastic qualifying, but that was not the case. The College Baseball World Series wasn’t even good enough for ESPN2 because of re-runs of the 2007 World Series of Poker. That is right, something that took place a year ago, has already been seen, and is seriously waning thanks to the constant barrage of coverage from the WWL, is what bumped one of the most improbable runs in college baseball history. How college baseball continues to be constantly put on the backburner of the sports pyramid is beyond me, but programming decisions like those made at ESPN certainly don’t help. For those of you not lucky enough to be in Omaha, or catch the game on channel 140 (cablevision customers only), we have a recap of the weekends college action right here for you.

UGA 10, Stanford 8 (Game 1); And game 1 was all the Bulldogs needed. The Cardinal came into the game needing to take 2 from the undefeated Bulldogs, and didn’t even get one. Stanford decided that they liked to play down multiple runs. Facing deficits of 5 or more throughout most of the game. The Cardinal continued to play, and even brought the game to 2 in the 9th, on a homer by Ben Clowe, but that wasn’t enough, and the Bulldogs advanced.

UNC 4, Fresno State 3 (Game 1); On the brink of elimination, the Tar Heels led off the 8th with a double. The obvious baseball decision here is to bunt. Chad Flack attempted to do just that. Having been the clean-up hitter for most of the season, he wasn’t very good at sacrificing. As our coach always said, “the bigger the game, the bigger the bunting game.” Turns out this adage wasn’t entirely true. After Flack’s failed bunt attempt, he launched this towering homer into the stands for the go ahead run. Big Mo was on the side of the Tar Heels, and so was their ace, who would pitch game 2.

Fresno 6, UNC 1 (Elimination Game); The team that many had picked to win the whole enchilada had rallied from the losers bracket, and was facing a team that appeared to lack any real definition. Some idiots even predicted Fresno to be 2 and done. UNC also had their “ace” on the mound. A man that was 22-2 in his college career. One of his two losses came earlier in the week to Fresno State. When the cards are all in line, that is when the house seems to come crumbling down (thank you medal bats). The Tar Heels looked to be off to a good start, as they led off the game with a double, but Cinderella kept on her slipper and got out of the jam. The Bulldogs went on to strike first, and wouldn’t stop striking. They scored in 4 consecutive innings, including 2 crooked numbers. Now this years Cinderella has a ticket to the ball.

Prediction: Lucky for the fans, we can catch tonight’s action on ESPN2 at 7, and the great programmers at the 4 letter have given us the privilege of watching the kiddies on ESPN on Tuesday and Wednesday. Our prediction for tonight, pain! That is at least for Fresno State 3B, Tommy Mendonca, who has two dislocated and two bruised fingers in his throwing hand, and a laundry list of other players with injuries from a broken hamate to a chipped tooth. They have all played with the injuries thusfar, and there is no reason for one to think that will hold them back. In a pure match-up, the FS Bulldogs are a weaker in pretty much every facet, but they have been that way for the entire postseason. We are going to pick the FS Bulldogs because they “want it more,” which isn’t a real attribute. Oh well, who needs reasoning?

Alright, so it’s 4:30 on a Friday. We are physically at work, but couldn’t be further away from even thinking about work. People at work are asking if they can help me with anything, and all I think about is that hell no, you can’t help me write on my blog. Then I realize they are talking about work, and I sheepishly utter “no thanks.” There is a possibility that we will go to the movies tonight, and we can’t really think of anything worth seeing (Full Disclosure-we might see “Get Smart” hence the pic), but we will find something. For others, you might be at home, and in front of your giant plasma tv. If this is the case, here are some things for you to check out this weekend:

(ESPN 7:00-10:00) College World Series-They were relegated to ESPN2 for World Series of Poker reruns, but tonight the college kids get the primetime spotlight.

(CSPAN 8:00-11:00) Tonight from Washington-We wanted to link to Court TV, but we don’t know what channel it is. CSPAN is practically the same thing. The only reason we wanted to put a “legal” related station is because we wanted to link to this story. We find it funny that Duke admits how horrible their football team is.

Yea we are late with this (2 days late in fact), but who cares. People only cruise this sight looking for chicks in the clicks, and that takes a lot of effort. We don’t have any of that for you right now. All we have for you is baseball highlights. If you want that stuff, go here.

Miami 3, Stanford 8; A day late and a dollar short was the slogan for the Miami Hurricanes after this one. The ‘Canes managed to go all season and lose 8 games. They lost 8 times in a conference that was easily the most dominating in the country. The ‘Canes have also managed to lose 3 times in their last 6 tries. That is not good, especially in tournament play. I suppose it was a tough draw for the #1 national seed, but they managed to lose to every team in their bracket at some point this season. Miami led for a whole 2 and a half innings, then it was over. In all, it wasn’t a good night for Miami players. Their best player was 1 K short of the golden sombrero, their pitching was lackluster at best all tournament, and their whole team lacked in JeternessBradynessEli Manningness(?). Not to overshadow the win for the giant tree hugging team, but the number 1 seed blew this tournament. Their toughest opponent should have been a struggling FSU team, but it turns out it was themselves. Miami went 2-15 and 8 strikeouts with RiSP, and have been eliminated from the college world series in 3 games for each of the past 4 trips. Oh well, better luck next year. At least your mascot can dance.

Too busy watching your little brother get an X-rays last night? Sorry they was a bit of inside information. Regardless, here is what you missed on the collegiate diamond…

Miami 7, FSU 5; Miami won the game, and in an elimination game, that is all that counts. This game won’t do much in the way to build confidence. Just look at what closer Carlos Gutierrez had to say at the press game conference. Well actually, he didn’t attend questioning. Perhaps he wasn’t happy with his performance, yet again. So far he has faced 16 hitters, allowed 7 hits, 7 runs, 5 earned (granted it was his own error), and 2 walks. One night after blowing the game, Gutierrez made this one interesting in the 9th as the Seminoles rallied for 3 runs. Buster Posey, the Dick Howser Trophy winner, and Golden Spikes finalist, stood at the plate in the form of the go ahead run. Perhaps Gutierrez did the right thing. He walked Posey to load the bases, then got Jack Rye to ground out, ending the game. FSU is out, and somewhere Jenn Sterger weeps. Miami lives another day to face the loser of the Georgia/Stanford game. Speaking of the Georgia/Stanford game…

Georgia 4, Stanford 3; The Cardinal battered the ball around in the 3rd, including a home run from Jason “The Astro” Castro, to back Georgia into a corner. As Miami learned last night, and Stanford tonight, nobody backs baby Georgia into a corner. Stanford decided not to score anymore in the game, and Georgia decided to score 4 more times, including 2 in the 7th. After a controversial foul call, Georgia continued to rally. Matt Cerione drove in the eventual game winner with a bases loaded single. The bullpen pitched 6 shutout innings, and the Bulldogs await the winner of the Miami/Cardinal match-up.

Even though there were only 5 games last night, the Mets still thought they couldn’t grab the headline with a victory alone, so they decided that this was a better way to steal the morning headlines. Either way, let’s start with the goodies…

Mets 9, TLAAofA 6; Apparently, winning 3 of your last 4 is not good enough to save your job. Omar Minaya and the Mets have pointed the finger in the wrong direction, and according to sources, there was some slight in-house sabatoge brewing. It seems odd that the Mets would fire the manager, the third base coach, and the pitching coach, but not the bench coach. Isn’t he the one that assists Willie with his in game decisions? At least for Willie, he no longer has to endure the constant feel of his head on the chopping block, and he got a free trip out to the west coast. I doubt the Mets sprung for the ticket on the return flight. Here at Awesomo, we wish Willie the best of luck, and hope the Mets suck even more. Lots of people have talked a lot about it already. Like here, and here, and even here, oh and can’t forget here.

Braves 7, Rockies 1; The MLB schedulers are pretty crafty. The Rockies/Braves get snowed out, so they decide the best way to make that up is on a trip to Texas. I didn’t realize that Arlington was that close to Colorado. Chipper went 2 for 4 and raised his average to .403. We’re going to go out on a limb, and call it now. Chipper is not going to be hitting .400. I know, it’s bold, but that is what we do here at Awesomo, we are ctrl B.

Boston 2, Phillies 8; There was a Ryan Howard sighting last night in Philly. The slugger went 3 for 5 with 2 homers. He also happened to strikeout twice, but we won’t dwell on the negatives. Howard is now hitting a blistering .224. We are going to go out on a limb and call it now. Howard is not going to be hitting .400. I know, it’s bold, but that is what we do here at Awesomo, we are ctrl B.

Florida 6, Mariners 1; The Mariners are pretty bad. They need a new manager, perhaps Willie would be interested in moving to soggy Seattle. Richie “I like to fight” Sexson went 2-4 and is hitting a paltry .218. The Marlins don’t have a single hitter over .300, yet manage to be in second in the NL East.

Tigers 6, Giants 8; Marcus Thames homored in 7 straight at bats. That is pretty ridiculous, good thing they said goodbye to Jacques Jones. Unfortunately, Thames did not set MLB records. That record is held, without an astrisk, by Mark McGwire. Big Mac hit 11 in a row at one point (thanks for that little nugget BBTN crew). Tim Lincecum had his worst outing of the season, but the remainder of the Giants rallied for 5 in the 8th to get the win. Talking about San Francisco makes us think of our new favorite player, Ben Francisco of the Cleveland Indians. How sweet is that name?

The old schoolers hate it, fat guys love it, and fans could probably care less. Either way, the DH is back in the news. For those of you that don’t know, Chein-Ming Wang is out for a while. We have seen the replays several times, and have yet to realize how he actually hurt himself, damn snipers. One thing that we do know, if there was a DH, Wang would not have been in that situation. Another thing that we know, there is one man that has an opinion. Everybody’s favorite Steinbrenner, Hammerin’ Hank, told the NY Post’s Kevin Kernan “It’s time the National League joins the 21st century, or is forced to join. The National League is playing the same way it did in the 1880s. That’s over with. The National League should have the designated hitter. There’s no question the National League should have it.”

We often hear about the AL shouldn’t have a DH. It isn’t “pure” baseball WAAAAAAA!!!! Hank has raised the contrarian’s point of view. The NL is the one that has it wrong. Pitchers in the AL hardly do anything athletic, and in the NL, well they usually just attempt a bunt, or typically strikeout. Micah Owings aside, pitchers should not be batting, let alone running the bases. Pitching is definitely difficult to do, but anyone that has been around the game knows that pitchers are a different breed. They are a little “different” from those regular ball players, and as such, they should have a little bit different circumstances. The DH is right for the game. Besides, the DH brought us Edgar Martinez. We owe the DH
something.

“One more minute, the beaches San Diego,One more minute,the beaches Mexico.One more minute, we kick it back poolside,One more minute, and we’re down by the Oceanside,One more minute, one more minute, one more minute!”By one more minute we mean what our brain would be chanting if engaging in relations with Rachel Bilson.Instead we have four long ass days of work. Those lyrics pertain nothing to Rachel Bilson but its Authority Zero so everyone needs to listen to them.

Tonight we are very limited on the sports. Some of us have been able to skip work and check out 18+ holes of golf from Tiger and Rocco Mediate, apparently 1 legged Tiger needs a 1 round playoff and sudden death. See, he is mortal. Others may have even checked out the U trying to stave off elimination. With all of this sports action, we are left with very little tonight. That very little includes…

That’s what she said. Yes those jokes are lame, but we find them clever and awesomo. Unfortunately for the Yanks, the injury is not a joke. The AP reports that Chien-Ming Wang will be out for at least 6 weeks. In our medical opinion, which means nothing, a “partially torn tendon” is not a good thing. The sprained foot doesn’t help either. I guess everyone’s favorite clutch master will have to refrain from “wang” references for a while. This injury sparks a few debates;

The first question is a rhetorical one, of course they are athletes. As for what the Yankees do next…Do they make a play for C.C., or any other top notch pitcher? We are definately of the opinion that they should not sign C.C. Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free? The Yankees can throw nothing but money at the man next year. Not sure of any other top notch pitcher the Yankees can grab, but I guess the young guns will really need to mature quickly. They also have some decent talent in the minors. In the end, a rest for a pitcher is never bad thing. See Curt Schilling for an example of a pitcher that apparently only works 1 month of the year. Hopefully Wang can recover in time to join the Yankees for their post season push. Hey, if he doesn’t get better, they still have Moose. Look for Hank to start criticizing the NL for not having a DH.